CHEVERIE, MACLEOD, SPARRE VOTED PWHL COACH OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

NEW YORK AND TORONTO (May 22, 2026) – The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) today announced that Kori Cheverie of the Montréal Victoire, Carla MacLeod of the Ottawa Charge, and Kris Sparre of the Boston Fleet have been voted as the three finalists for the 2026 PWHL Coach of the Year award.

The PWHL Coach of the Year award is presented to the head coach whose contributions most impacted their team’s on-ice success throughout the regular season.

KORI CHEVERIE, MONTRÉAL VICTOIRE

Cheverie, from New Glasgow, NS, is the reigning award recipient and first coach to be a finalist in each of the league’s three seasons. She led Montréal to first place atop the PWHL standings with a record of 16-6-2-6 for 62 points, tied with Boston for a new single-season points record. The Victoire’s 22 wins marked a new league-high, along with their 16 wins in regulation that also matched the Fleet. They led all teams with a .844 winning percentage as the home team, including wins in 11 of 12 games at Place Bell. Their 16-game point streak is the longest in PWHL history, including a league-leading seven straight wins from March 25 to April 17, where the team’s depth was on full display in the absence of captain Marie-Philip Poulin. The Victoire set a PWHL record with only 41 goals against, while their 78 goals set a new team record and were the second-most among all teams. Cheverie guided Montréal to 13 multi-goal wins and just one multi-goal loss, both of which are new league-best marks. The team’s penalty kill tied a single-season record with a 91.8% efficiency, while the team converted on 19.3% of power-play opportunities, good for second in the league and a new team record and was the only unit not to allow a shorthanded goal this season.

CARLA MACLEOD, OTTAWA CHARGE

MacLeod, a native of Spruce Grove, AB, is an award finalist for the second straight season after helping Ottawa earn a berth in the PWHL Walter Cup Playoffs in back-to-back seasons. The Charge posted a 9-8-1-12 record, matching their 44 points from last season, and secured fourth place in the standings with a win in the team’s final game. They earned 17 wins overall, marking the most in a single season in team history, including a team record six-game winning streak and eight games with four or more goals (third most in the league). The Charge posted a league-high five wins when trailing after the second period, a testament to MacLeod’s influence and the resiliency she and the team demonstrated over the course of the season both on and off the ice. Ottawa was one of two teams to play nine games beyond regulation (Boston), winning a PWHL-record eight such games, including a perfect 6-0 record in overtime decisions. Overall, they tied Montréal for the second-most power-play goals with 16, earning the third-best efficiency (17.8%) and co-led the league with three shorthanded goals.

KRIS SPARRE, BOSTON FLEET

Sparre, who calls Mississauga, ON his hometown, is a finalist in his first season as a PWHL head coach after Boston became the fastest team (24 games) to clinch a playoff berth in league history. He made an immediate impact with wins in each of his first five games, setting the stage for a second-place finish with a 16-5-4-5 record and share of the all-time single-season-best of 62 points, while showing the most significant year-over-year improvement with six more wins and 18 more points than the team’s 2024-25 results. The Fleet served as an equal threat in and outside the state of Massachusetts, becoming the first team to reach 30 points at home and on the road, inclusive of a team-record 10 wins as the host and league-record 11 wins as the visitor. Sparre had Boston ready to play at puck drop with a league-leading 23 game-opening goals, and ready to compete in close games with nine wins and points in 13 of 16 one-goal decisions. The Fleet blue line accounted for the most goals (16), highest percentage of goals (22.5%), second-most points (59), and highest percentage of points (31.2%) by any team’s defenders, while the team’s penalty kill efficiency of 91.6% ranked second. Their 45 goals against were the second fewest in the PWHL and a 31-goal improvement from the 2024-25 campaign.

A selection committee cast their votes for six regular-season PWHL awards, including Coach of the Year, along with the league’s First and Second All-Star Teams and an All-Rookie Team, between the conclusion of regular season and the commencement of playoffs. The three head coaches that received the most voting points for Coach of the Year have been named finalists. Winners of all PWHL Awards will be announced on June 16 in Detroit.

Last season, Cheverie was the recipient of the Coach of the Year award, voted over finalists MacLeod and Toronto’s Troy Ryan.

ABOUT THE PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S HOCKEY LEAGUE (PWHL)

The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that features the best women’s players in the world. As of the 2025-26 season, it is comprised of eight teams — Boston, Minnesota, Montréal, New York, Ottawa, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver — with Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas, and San Jose added as the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th teams ahead of the 2026-27 season. Launched on January 1, 2024, the PWHL has broken multiple attendance records and holds the worldwide all-time record for a women’s hockey game. The league was recognized by Sports Business Journal as the Sports Breakthrough of the Year, and ranked No. 1 in Canada for corporate reputation in both 2024 and 2025, according to the Harris Poll. Visit thepwhl.com to purchase tickets and merchandise, and subscribe to the PWHL e-newsletter for the latest updates. Follow the league on social media @thepwhlofficial.